Was It Worth It?
by peppe1951
Summary: Summary: Neal learns the hard way why he should never steal from influential people.  Warning: Disciplining of an adult. Don't like? Don't read! Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to USA; I only write about it.
1. Chapter 1

**Was it Worth It?**

Peppe1951

**Summary**: Neal learns the hard way why he should never steal from influential people. **Warning:** Disciplining of an adult. Don't like? Don't read! **Disclaimer:** White Collar belongs to USA; I only write about it.

This is a stand alone story…isn't part of any series and takes place mid way through the second season. This story is in honor of Colakirk who asked me to write it after telling her about this idea I had. I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 1**

Neal had only been at work with the White Collar unit since he helped in solving the Dutchman case and becoming a bonafide member of the unit. Since then he had helped the White Collar close up several cases that they were working on. His efforts often guaranteed that the criminal would be arrested and sent to prison.

During the time Neal became Peter Burke's CI the two have gotten closer than either had even thought possible and Peter looked upon Neal as a combination son or kid brother and Neal often found excuses to be with the older agent and his lovely wife, Elizabeth and before Neal even realized he had considered the couple to be surrogate parents; but Elizabeth wasn't the only one in his life that he considered to be a mother figure. He also had June, his landlady who treated Neal like a grandson and wasn't beyond disciplining when it was needed….or taking care of him when he needed it.

Neal was considering his life as a CI as not a bad thing with the exception of his tracking anklet. It would be fantastic if he could only function without that anklet which kept him within a two mile radius except when he was with Peter. But overall he was enjoying life and had planned on having a wonderful weekend when Peter dropped him off a couple of hours earlier that Friday afternoon. "You have earned the time off Neal…that was a hard case that was just closed a few hours ago," Peter had told Neal just before letting him off in front of June's house.

In his hurry to get home Peter hadn't noticed the vehicle that had been parked in the shade of the trees on June's property or the two men who approached his CI a few minutes later.

"Mr. Caffrey?" one of them called out.

Neal turned around and said, "yes, can I help you?" They didn't look mean or menacing to him; in fact they both had friendly, smiling faces.

"Mr. Neal Caffrey?" The other man said.

"Yes, I'm Neal Caffrey," Neal identified himself again, reaching for his ID if he needed to prove it to them.

The men nodded to themselves when the one with sandy hair added, "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Caffrey but we were only given verbal description and not a photograph to identify you with and we wanted to be sure that we got the right man."

Neal nodded his understanding and waited for them to tell him what they wanted.

"Mr. Caffrey, my name is Richard and this is my associate William; we work for Mr. Stephen Marshall, are you familiar with him?" Richard asked as he introduced himself and his buddy.

"Of course, he owns several galleries all over New York City," replied Neal as he wondered to himself why a man like Marshall would want him.

"Mr. Caffrey to cut to the chase…Mr. Marshall would like to meet you…in fact he has something to give you that he knows will help you in the long run. He would like you to accompany us…now," requested Richard.

Neal thought it over and decided that he had nothing to lose if he accompanied these men; who knows maybe in meeting and gaining this man's friendship his career would be strengthen and so he followed them willingly to their car and drove off in their care.

When they finally arrived and parked in front of one of the largest townhouses in town Neal could only guess what it held and if it was anything like it was from where he could see it would be quite magnificent. He could hardly wait to get inside.

"Mr. Caffrey if you will join us we will take you to Mr. Marshall now," requested Richard.

Neal eagerly joined them and followed them inside and up a stairwell until they left him in a reading room adjacent to a personal library. "If you will wait here Mr. Marshall will be joining you soon…make yourself at home," Neal was told as they closed the door behind him and leaving him to look around the room.

Neal was intrigued with everything in and around the room. He looked over the paintings on the wall as he did with all of the pictures and displays. He even picked up a book or so to discover that they were all first editions to many rare and expensive books. He had just wandered over to a contraption that he had not a clue for what it was used, when the door behind him opened and a familiar individual entered followed closely by the two men who had brought him here.

"Yes, you are the young man who took my money and car as I was on my way out of the country over a year ago. The police informed me of the theft of my property after they also told me that my vehicle had been recovered when they apprehended you not three hours later," Stephen Marshall said as he addressed Neal. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Neal was speechless which for him wasn't an everyday event and could only shrug his shoulders before blurting out, "I didn't harm it any…it drove like a dream and you did get it back."

"Not even an apology, young man?" asked Marshall angrily.

"Sorry."

Marshall nodded and said quite conversationally, "You were wondering what I asked you to come here for?"

Neal nodded.

"Well, Mr. Caffrey; I'm of the old school where I believe a person like yourself should be punished for stealing…that day not only did you take my car but you also took my money. I gave you one hundred dollars which I didn't get back…I presume that you spent it?"

Neal nodded, "Yeah I got something to eat and bought something for my girl."

"Tell me something Mr. Caffrey…when you were a child and misbehaved did your father or mother ever take you to task for your behavior?" asked Marshall curiously.

"You mean did my parents every spank me when I did something wrong?" Neal asked in return and when Marshall nodded replied, "No they didn't believe in hitting a child. I was always grounded."

"That explains a lot. I believe that if you ever got your tail smacked then maybe you might not have turned out like you did. You would have known the consequences of your actions then maybe you would have thought better of doing it in the first place," explained Marshall.

"What does it matter what you think…the state punished me for my escape by adding four years to my sentence," replied Neal insolently.

"But you aren't in prison now, are you? You made a deal with the FBI about becoming their CI for the next four years under the supervision of the White Collar unit of the FBI and Peter Burke became your handler. So in my eyes you only got a slap on the wrist for the escape and for the theft of my vehicle and money," replied Marshall hotly.

"I also have to wear this," added Neal as he pointed to the tracking anklet when he raised his pant's leg, "and my radius is only two miles from my apartment. In fact, I'm surprised that it isn't beeping since we are way outside of my two mile radius."

"It pays to have friends in all realms. If your status is reviewed it will show you that you have spent the last hour or so in a park near your place of residence," Marshall said with a smile. "Which by the way shows you have taste; did you con the older lady for you to live there?"

"No…I just asked her if she would be willing to have a boarder since she had an empty suite…and I was even willing to pay for it and help out whenever she liked," Neal said as he tried to defend his actions.

"You mean have the FBI pay for it, don't you Mr. Caffrey?" asked Marshall to Neal's shrug. "It seems to me that you have an easy life as compared to what it should be if you were back in prison…in my book you haven't been punished sufficiently for the crime of stealing my vehicle and money or even for your escape attempt, but all that interests me is the theft of my possessions."

"Well, I do help them solve White Collar crimes," boasted Neal, "and besides the escape and everything that came because of it happened over a year ago…why wait until now to take me to task for it?" Neal asked curiously.

"I was out of the country since I last saw you. I was originally taking my wife on a month's vacation which soon blossomed into several business deals. I just returned to New York a few days ago and although I could have my men take care of you I choose to have a hand in your punishment after all it was me you stole from," explained Marshall.

"So what are you going to do…have me sent back to prison? I would think that Peter and the FBI would have a say in preventing that," replied Neal smugly.

"I think you are missing what I have been saying Mr. Caffrey and to answer your question…no I'm not going to have you sent back to prison. You will not learn the lesson I'm trying to teach you…that you must learn from your actions….that there are consequences to your actions and I'm prepared to get my money's worth out of your hide…and I mean that quite literally Mr. Caffrey," explained Marshall as he nodded to his men.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"W-What are y-you going to d-do to me?" asked Neal fearfully as he looked around the room for a means to escape.

"I'm going to give you the hiding of your young life," replied Marshal.

"You can't do that," cried Neal defiantly as he started to ease towards the door.

"Oh, I think you are about to learn that I can do pretty much whatever I want…and there is nothing you can do about it. William if you would escort

Mr. Caffrey to my bench," he requested motioning to the piece of furniture Neal was trying to figure out earlier.

Neal tried to make a run for it but William caught him before he could go more than a couple of steps and wrestled him back to stand before the piece of furniture Marshall had indicated earlier.

"I see that you were looking at this unusual piece of furniture when I entered. Do you know what that piece of furniture was for?"

Neal shook his head and struggled to get away.

"It was used in the British Boarding Schools like Rugby when a young lad, like yourself was to be caned by the headmaster…its called a caning bench and I'm going to give you a first hand dose of not only what a strapping feels like but what a caning feels as well," barked Marshal as he nodded again at his men who pulled Neal forward.

Neal struggled but was unable to free himself as he was placed over the strange piece of furniture which looked like an inverted U and physically locked into place. Once the men stepped away Neal found himself bent over the back of the bench with his arms strapped to the front legs and his ankles strapped to the back legs of the bench. It made his backside bent at the right angle to be targeted.

Neal started to panic as Marshall stepped closer with a strap in his hands. "I thought to warm you up with this strap before moving on and actually canning you," he said as he let the strap fly. It hit Neal dead center on his buttocks and Neal gasp with the pain it caused.

"Look, I'm sorry I took your car," Neal said quickly before the next lick fell in hopes he could stop the strapping from continuing.

"You are only sorry that you got caught; but when I'm finished with you that won't be the case. You will be sorry that you took the car and won't think about doing it ever again…at least I know you won't ever steal from me again," Marshall explained as the rained down lick after lick on Neal's trousered backside. He didn't stop until he had Neal sobbing and begging for mercy.

When Marshal stepped back he waited for Neal's signs of distress to come to an end. "I bet that if I was to remove those trousers of yours I would find one fiery backside in color as well as heat."

Neal only nodded as he waited to be released only to cry out, "OWWWW!" as he felt Marshall place one palm on his backside to feel the heat radiating from it.

"P-please no m-more," sobbed Neal.

"You didn't really think I was only going to strap you, boy when I promised to cane you as well?" Marshall asked as he moved to where Neal could see him.

"I won't ever s-steal from you a-again!" cried Neal.

"Oh, I know you won't, my boy…after this you won't be able to sit so stealing anything that depends on sitting will be impossible," joked Marshall as he went to a case at the back of the room and removed several canes. He picked out two and brought them over so Neal could see them.

He picked of one and showed Neal how flexible it was. "This is a cane like the schoolmasters in England would use while this," picking up the other one, "is a birch rod…this was what was used on countless school boys during the days of the old west and way into the nineteen century. Both are painful as you will soon feel," Marshall promised as he suddenly swung the birch rod harshly against Neal's trousered clad backside in the midst of his red and sore bottom.

He followed the first lick with three more as Neal screamed with pain. Marshall had placed all four licks with a space in between from the top of his buttocks to the beginning of his thighs before stepping back and picking up the cane and striking out four more times placing these licks into the spaces that were left from the birch rod. Neal was sobbing once again as he backside throbbed; the caning had not only awakening the pain from the strapping but it also caused the areas that the cane hit to begin to bleed in some spots…much like a skinned knee.

Neal was hurting so much from his strapping and caning that he wasn't even aware that he had been released from the bench until he was forcefully pulled into a standing position and held in place screaming with the movement as his boxers made contact with is inflamed backside.

He was a soulful and contrite individual as Marshall nodded to his men.

"Take him home but make sure he is sitting for the trip….I want him to feel every bump," Marshall ordered.

Before Neal left Marshall addressed him once more. "I just have one thing to ask you Mr. Caffrey…was taking my car and money worth the punishment you just received?"

All Neal could do was to shake his head for fear that he would start crying again and satisfied of his answer Marshall nodded for his men to take Neal home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

With Richard and William on either side of him Neal was propelled forward whimpering and wincing with each step until they came to the staircase when Neal yelled as he took each step down as the boxers and trousers made contact with his oversensitive backside and when he finally made it to the limo he had arrived in Neal gave a sigh of relief, that is until he was shoved down and belted in. Neal had to bite his lips to keep from screaming as all of his weight forced his backside to hurt even more.

"Just you remember what Mr. Marshall said Caffrey," remarked Richard. "You are to sit upright for the journey home and to make sure that you do, I'm going to sit next to you and keep you from taking any pressure off your abused backside."

Neal nodded as tears began to run down his face and he moaned as the vehicle started up and they drove off. It seemed to Neal that they hit every bump they could find causing him to cry out with pain.

After what seemed to Neal to be an eternity they finally pulled up in June's driveway and Neal was pulled once more from the car and forced to walk to the front door where William held him in place while Richard rang the doorbell. They left him leaning painfully in the doorway waiting for the door to be open. By the time the maid answered Richard and William were on their way back home.

"Mr. Caffrey?" the maid was surprised the find the young man at the entrance. He normally had a key and let himself in.

"S-sorry to bother you Maggie, b-but I must have forgotten to pick up my

k-key," remarked Neal as he lurched inside. He tried to keep it together until he could get upstairs to his apartment, groaning to himself at the thought of climbing all of those stairs in his present condition.

Maggie only nodded and watched carefully as Neal walked inside. It seemed to her that he was trying to hide something but couldn't figure out what and went back to the kitchen where she was fixing supper.

Neal waited until Maggie had returned to her kitchen before attempting the stairs. He didn't want to alert June that he had been punished; he rather keep the whole affair as private as possible. He had the whole weekend to get over it and he planned on staying face down in bed as much as possible.

It took Neal twenty minutes to climb the stairs to his apartment since he had to stop after each step to compose himself before moving forward so that by the time he actual arrived his face was red from crying and he was groaning with pain. After closing the door he carefully walked to his bed and laid face down on the soft mattress and began to sob in earnest…so much so that he soon sobbed himself to sleep.

When Maggie started to serve dinner June asked, "Who was at the door earlier…I heard the doorbell?"

"It was Mr. Neal…he seems to have forgotten to bring his keys when he left earlier," Maggie told her employer but June noticed a look on her face and asked,

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that Mr. Neal didn't look like he felt alright…he was walking funny and I could have sworn that he had been crying before," she admitted her concerns to June.

That alarmed June but she only said, "I'll be sure to check on him after dinner and be a dear and keep a serving warm for him. He may be in need of a warm meal tonight."

Maggie nodded and continued to serve dinner.

June let herself into Neal's room after knocking repeatedly without receiving an answer. "Neal…son," she said as she entered not wanting to surprise him if he was bathing.

Neal didn't stir and June walked over to see if he was okay. Maggie's concerns were still ringing in her ears as she gently laid her hand on his forehead. He was mumbling in his sleep…begging for mercy when she inadvertently touched his backside and he reacted with a scream.

"Neal…are you okay?" she asked as she tried to get him to roll over on is back.

Neal opened his eyes to a concerned June and said quickly, "Oh June…I was just having a nightmare…I didn't realize that I was that loud," he apologized in an effort to get her to leave. It didn't work…June was in full mother mode as she asked instead,

"Either you tell me what's wrong or I'm going to call Peter?" It was a threat that she knew would get the reaction she sought.

"No…don't…please," he begged before he mumbled, "I'll tell you but you have got to promise not to tell Peter."

June looked at him and saw a little boy begging for his father not to be told about something that might earn him a spanking. "What did you do Neal?"

"Do you promise?" repeated Neal.

"I promise not to tell him just as long as whatever happened will not land you back in prison if he doesn't know," she counter-offered.

Neal nodded is agreement and simply said, "The man whose car I stole after I broke out of prison to find Kate found me and punished me for the theft."

"And how did he punish you, dear?"

"He…he gave me a hiding…I can't sit comfortably at the moment," admitted Neal as he kept his eyes on the floor.

"Oh, Neal," cried June as she rubbed his back in a comforting manner. "How bad did he whip you?"

"Bad…he's even worse than Peter…but I know that by Monday I'll be better and Peter doesn't need to know. Please don't tell him June," Neal pleaded again.

After some deliberation June agreed not to let his keeper know what happened to him. "But Neal if some how he finds out and asks I won't lie to him. Now you need to get into something a bit more comfortable than what you are now wearing. Take a cool shower and get changed and I'll bring you up something for the pain so you can get some sleep…and I have a plate warming for dinner," and with a kiss to his forehead June got up and left Neal for the time being.

Neal stayed in bed trying to talk himself to get up and do as June suggested and after a few minutes he managed to get up and stagger to the bathroom with tears and moans with each step but it wasn't until he tried to disrobe that he realized that he was in real trouble. He cried as he stepped out of his trousers but yelled as he tried to pull his boxers off. They were stuck in places…the blood from the caning had dried and when he tried to remove them they stuck to the wounds. Neal was still sobbing when June reappeared.

When June entered Neal's room for the second time that night she was carrying a tray with Neal's dinner on it but when she heard his sobs she lost little time in getting to him. She placed the tray on the nearest table and cautiously opened the bathroom door and saw him sobbing as he stood hunched over the sink. But what caught her eyes were the blood staining in spots on the boxers he was wearing and she reacted instinctly.

"Neal…you're bleeding," she said gently as she moved towards him.

"June….no…I c-can't get t-them off-f. T-they're s-stuck," he sobbed and she gathered him in her arms and led him back to his bed.

"They are going to have to be soaked off, dear. "I'm going to put a wet rag on them and then we can gently take them off and I can treat your poor bottom," she said firmly.

"No-o-o-o," sobbed Neal.

"It's okay son…I'll take care of you," she implored as she quickly brought him a glass of water and a pain pill. "Here you swallow this and I'll be as gentle as I can…we will have you sleeping comfortable real soon," she added soothingly.

Neal took the pills and soon found himself drifting off to sleep. June had slipped him sleeping tablets instead. As soon as she knew him to be out she sat about to treat his hurts as she would her own boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next morning found Neal still asleep with a sleep deprived June nearby. It hadn't taken her long before she was able to soak the few spots where the boxers were stuck to Neal's abused backside but June just couldn't just leave him there by himself…he was her grandson in every manner but blood; and she wanted to be there to comfort him if he had a nightmare.

She had been disturbed by the state of his bottom…not only was it bruised but it had several skinned places like the spots that had bleed and caused him pain and distress earlier….and there was a heat radiating from it. She had kept cold compresses on his poor bottom throughout the night to keep him from getting a fever.

She had counted the eight strokes from a cane that had caused some bleeding to occur onto. Neal was fooling himself he believed that he would be okay by Monday. She knew if would take days for him to recover from such a brutal chastisement as she was now viewing. Peter needed to know what had happened and she hoped that she could convince Neal into allowing her to tell him.

"June? Were you with me all night?" asked a sleepy Neal.

"Where else would I be dear than here when you so desperately needed me," replied June kindly as she laid her hand on his cheek lovingly.

Neal cautiously eased out of bed only to gasp when his still sore bottom made contact with the mattress. He then scampered to the bathroom where June heard sounds of distress as Neal gazed at his backside.

"June would you hand me a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, please," called Neal from behind the bathroom door.

June went to Neal's dresser drawers and looked within until she had the items requested and quickly took them to the door and knocked. It opened a crack and June pushed the clothes in. A moment later she heard the shower go on and decided to give her surrogate grandson some privacy as she tried to come up with a way to alert the Burke's to Neal's present condition.

Neal stayed under the shower for a long time making sure to focus the cooler tempered water on his backside. He whimpered when the spray of water first hit his sore backside but eventually adjusted to the cold water as it numbed his sore backside. It was a totally different Neal that exited a few minutes later dressed in the loose pair of sweatpants that June had given him along with the white t-shirt. What he was unprepared for was when he realized that Peter had arrived while he was under the shower and was now waiting for him.

"Please don't tell me that we have a case?" pleaded Neal urgently.

"We don't have a case; I just was thinking that maybe you would like to join El and me on a picnic in the park for lunch," invited Peter as he looked carefully at his partner. Something was wrong…he just couldn't put his finger on it at the time.

The look of longing was evident on Neal's face. He wanted so much to accompany Peter and join them for lunch but the numbness was rubbing off and his backside was starting to throb once again and he knew that he couldn't take sitting today…he wasn't sure if he could do it by Monday.

"I'm sorry Peter, but as much as I would like to join you and El I just can't do it now," he said sorrowfully.

Peter nodded and headed for the door with a "maybe next time, then," ringing in Neal's ears when he suddenly turned around and said instead,

"Neal, just tell me the truth…what's wrong?" he asked with so much caring in his voice that Neal could only nod.

"Yesterday after you left two men approached me and took me to the home of Stephen Marshall," Neal said as he walked carefully back to his bed and laid on his side facing Peter whimpering when his backside made

contact lightly with the mattress, something that Peter noticed at once.

"Marshall was the man who I stole a vehicle from during my escape attempt…he was on his way out of town and I posed as one of those services who takes care of the cars…I wore a yellow windbreaker," Neal explained as Peter nodded his understanding.

"I also took the one hundred dollars that he offered as a tip. Anyway he sent his two men to bring me to him and to make a long story short he decided that the state didn't punish me enough and strapped and caned me. The caning was severe enough to guarantee that I won't be sitting comfortably for weeks. It took me twenty minutes just to climb the stairs to my room last night and I sobbed the whole way up there. I collapsed on my bed where June found and tended to me," Neal explained as he broke down and sobbed with pain and embarrassment.

Peter walked over to the younger man and quickly pulled the sweatpants down so he could get a look and see just how bad the punishment had been and as soon as he saw the severity of the punishment he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Neal into his arms rubbing his back as he sought to comfort the young man.

"Son, its okay…and I hope you have learned not ever to piss off the influential individuals of this world again…I don't think you can take any more of their individual attention," chided Peter in an attempt to get Neal to get his emotions under control.

It took a moment but eventually the tears subsided and Neal retorted, "as much as it pains me to say, but I totally agree with you on that."

"I'll fix it with Hughes so you can take a few extra days to recover from Marshall's punishment. It's going to take you until Wednesday or Thursday for you to be able to sit without crying out in pain," promised Peter as he got up and ruffled Neal's hair. "We have got to have our number one CI back in fighting condition. Call me if you need anything."

"I will and thanks, Peter," replied Neal as he laid his head back down and listened as Peter left the room.

As Peter walked down the stairs he wasn't surprised to find June waiting for him.

"How is he?"

"He hurts…and don't worry, he won't be returning to work until he is able to sit comfortably," replied Peter.

"Is there anything you can do about the man who did this to him?" asked June.

Peter shook his head, "Unfortunately no; I checked his tracking information before I came over and it shows that he spent the late afternoon in the nearby park. It's obvious that Mr. Marshall has friends in high places. Neal's tracking information was tampered with so that it doesn't show that he was anywhere near Stephen Marshall's residence. I bet that if I was to visit him I would find nothing to collaborate Neal's version of what happened," explained Peter.

"So he just has to take it? It's such a harsh punishment, Peter," cried June.

"I know…we just have to hope that Neal learns from this and it serves to keep him from doing it again," replied Peter. "I know that you'll keep our boy as comfortable as possible…call if you need me. It was a good thing that El thought of having a picnic today and sent me over to invite him."

"Yeah and that you thought it a good idea to check to see where he's was yesterday afternoon," replied June with a smile.

Peter only smile and said, "It takes a village to raise a child, doesn't it June."

"Especially when it is our boy, Neal."

**The End**

AN: "It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb meaning that it takes many to raise a child…and in this case not only does it take the Burkes, but June and Neal's friends to help him make it in this world.

5


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